June 14: FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that the Grade 2 strain in Ohtani’s UCL is new and is not related to the previous Grade 1 strain that he was reported to have shortly after signing. There’s been no update from the medical experts who’ve evaluated Ohtani, as doctors are waiting to see how his UCL responds to the injections he’s already received. As per the timeline originally put forth by the Angels at the time his injury was announced, that reevaluation is set to come at the end of this month (June 29).
June 11: Following an on-air report from ESPN’s Pedro Gomez in which Gomez suggested that Angels ace Shohei Ohtani “probably will need Tommy John surgery,” Halos GM Billy Eppler opposed the notion in a statement to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links).
“There have been no changes in Ohtani’s diagnosis and neither our physicians nor medical staff have recommended (Tommy John surgery) or said it’s likely,” said Eppler on Monday.
As with any UCL injury, of course, the possibility remains that surgical repair will ultimately be proven necessary. Notably, Eppler doesn’t definitively state that Ohtani will not require Tommy John surgery, likely because he and the team’s medical staff genuinely do not know whether Ohtani will avoid surgery at this point. When the Angels made the announcement that Ohtani was DL-bound, the team said that he had already received platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injections and would be re-evaluated in three weeks.
Eppler, then, simply seems to have been motivated to speak out against a report that was based on something other than conclusive medical evaluations. While some with the club are likely bracing for the worst and may even pessimistically be considering it the likeliest outcome, there’s no clear way to know exactly what treatment is in store for Ohtani until later this month when doctors make their recommendations following the initial wave of treatment. To that end, it’s worth noting that two of Ohtani’s current teammates, Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney, attempted similar treatment methods in order to avoid Tommy John surgery themselves. Heaney ultimately required the surgery anyway, but Richards did indeed manage to avoid the operation.
For the Angels, there’s little downside in attempting PRP and stem cell injections in addition to rest and rehab. As a theoretical example, even if Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery tomorrow, he would still be likely to miss the majority of the 2019 season anyhow. While some pitchers have returned from Tommy John in 11 to 12 months in the past, the Halos would certainly err on the side of caution in Ohtani’s rehabilitation process. A best-case scenario might see him sidelined into next August, so the harm in trying to avoid the procedure entirely is somewhat minimized when viewed through that lens.
This sucks
ESPN sucks. Good riddance in advance
once i saw bleacher report report it, i knew it was fake news
Was it ESPN or Bleacher Report?
Couldn’t have been ESPN they barely cover MLB.
It was Pedro Gomez of ESPN. Either way, fake news
No, “fake news” is that Anaheim is a playoff contender. Since this is the SECOND such PRP treatment Ohtani has undergone since last October, whether you like it or not, he’s just a few ligament threads away from TJ surgery. Meaning, while Gomez just might have jumped the gun a bit, know it IS coming, whether the one Anaheim fan out there accepts it or refuses to acknowledge the reality, instead.
If you don’t want crap MLB coverage, don’t listen to espn.
So ESPN Has great MLB coverage? Gonna have to check that out. Thanks!
Couldn’t he come back sooner than the estimated Tommy John layoff for pitchers just to DH?
I was thinking the same thing. Should he require TJS, it may be possible for LAA to have Ohtani complete 2/3 or more of his rehab in typical fashion and activate him as a DH only for the last month or two of the 2019 season if the Angels are in contention.
Yes that is a realistic possibility. The stress on his right elbow is minimal when hitting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Angels shut him down on the pitching side and let him DH for the rest of 2018. Then if he needs TJ, he gets that in early November. He’d be able to DH after about 6 months, around May 2019, and pitch again in 2020.
Unfortunately, the Angels have Pujols under contract so that would mean 2 players essentially occupying the same position. Ohtani is more productive than Pujols, but money talks.
You’re so right about money talks. While many were upset Pujols left the Cardinals, the realization now is much different. The Cardinals teams of late would be poor with no sight of improvement because of Pujols salary. His salary this season would basically paralyze the Cards for a player who is getting top pay for his declining performances as if he was still playing to the Caliber as he did His first 10-11 years.
Hasn’t he received the plasma/stemcells 3 times this seasons now? And it’s only gotten worse after the first 2?
Believe that’s why it’s to the point TJS is fairly expected, despite the wishful thinking of the club.
He’s going to require the surgery. Wasn’t it reported after he signed that they found a small tear in his UCL?
Jordan Montgomery supposedly only had a sprained flexor mass then a month later he underwent the knife. It’s a rite of passage these days. Too bad, he was fun to watch. See you on the mound in 2020.
No. Every team courting Ohtani knew about his medical history before their courtship with him.
If Ohtani does not need TJ surgery now, should the Angels use him strictly as a DH for the rest of the season and prevent him from pitching until next spring?
That seems like a reasonable alternative, at least for as long as it takes to see whether TJS alternatives such as PRP work.
He likely wouldn’t be able to pitch until ST 2020 at the earliest if they went that route. But yes, that route is probably available
Of course he needs it now. Are you going to sit pujols’ contract over league min? It was bound to happen as soon as those reports came out.
Sunken cost dude. You’re not getting anymore value playing a worse player over a better one.
Richards and Heaney have 9 win combined since 2015. I’m not sure which path is better?
Wow, what a shame.
This sucks. I really hope he does not need TJ. Watching two way players like him is fun, and if he is successful as a two way player, we will probably get more. If a big injury like this happens, and he misses a year+, we most likely won’t see more two way players.
There was no new news after the sprain broke. This is a non-story a good example of the consequences of the 24-hour newscycle.
Im surprised they didnt link this article about the science behind Shoehi DH’ing post surgery:
link to halosheaven.com
Another UCL injury what is that 5, 10 or 15 pitchers already?
If Ohtani has surgery now he likely is available as a DH by 2019 opening day. He can still rehab as a pitcher while being a DH
No. You still need that elbow and the ligaments within so as to swing a bat. Plus, the front office isn’t completely stupid. You don’t risk the winning lottery ticket, just to rush him back and risk further, perhaps permanent, injury.
Besides, they still have Pujols making really big bucks. Last I checked, even in Anaheim, the league only allows a team to start one DH in a game.
Actually, no, the stress on the right elbow for a left-handed batter is minimal. He can still DH within about 6 months of TJ, without significant risk.
Ok Doc! Have you played baseball? What does the bottom hand do in a left handed swing? Which happens to be the arm in question.
Yes I have played baseball plenty. Yet the source of my comment is more relevant:
link to halosheaven.com
I think everybody knew that sooner or later, Ohtani was going to need TJ surgery. I thought he’d make it to the All Star break at least though.
Teams are almost always cautiously optimistic about their players return from an elbow injury in initial press releases. They almost always seem to paint a rosier picture than the reality. I would not be the least bit surprised is come the end of the month the team comes out and says Ohtani has opted for TJS. But we’ll see.
This team is not going anywhere fast…. Get the TJ surgery done and move forward.
Here we go again and again and again and that’s 10-15 pitchers with ucl tears.
I like the people who go spastic when this is pointed out and say that the incidence of arm injuries is no different than it was 20-30 years ago. It’s pretty clear that far more pitchers have UCL issues than they did even 10 years ago. Folks can deny this all they want to, but where will we be 10 years from now? Will anyone be able to pitch?
Spastic? The angels have above average rate of incidences in just the last 3-4 years with 3 or 4 this season alone. What spastic, it’s not common as you may want to think.
Angelfanforlife19…I would say that 20-30 per year the last 7-8 years is common compared to single digits throughout the 80’s and 90’s
Solaris601…..30 years would be 1988….lets see how right you are 88 (7)….89 (6)…. 90 (5)…. 91 (9)…. 92 (5)…. 93 (7)…. 94 (9)…. 95 (8)…. 96 (11)…97 (9)…98 (9)….99 (16)…. 2000 (24)….2001 (26)…. 2002 (38)….2003 (29)….2004 (32)…. 2005 (13)…. 2006 (10)…. 2007 (7)….2008 (8)…. 2009 (8)….2010 (11)….2011 (29)….2012 (46)….2013 (25)….2014 (30)…..2015 (30)…..2016 (20)…..2017 (19)….. 2018 so far (19)
2 lists you may like the MLB Reports stopped tracking in 2017
link to mlbreports.com
link to docs.google.com
Better to get it out the way now and start rehabbing who remembers when tanaka came out how dominate he was the beginning of that first season he made hitters look silly now every time he pitches it’s ok here and there but not filthy like that first season you think the tanks would of made him get the surgery but no now he gets rocked among the league leaders in home runs govern up so for Angel fans fans this is a blessing
no need to bash ESPN in this. fact of the matter is the Angels have had an an inordinate number of players requiring TJS. so i wonder what complicity does the team (e.g., trainers. coaches, etc) have on this.
I agree, even if he doesn’t have TJ surgery now he’s going to have to have it at some point so why not state the obvious.
it is sad all the hype about this guy and severely injured before all star break
So glad he didn’t come to the Yankees. Cashman and Steinbrenner did their HW on this guy
Revisionist history 101
He didn’t want to go to the yankees. Don’t act like the yankees didn’t get him because of management